For some reason I was ruminating on fame this morning. Or, more specifically, the perils of fame. From a worldly perspective movie stars have it all: they're beautiful, wealthy, famous and can have just about anything they want while never having to work in the sense that most of us understand the word. They enjoy life in a manner which Average Joe can scarcely even imagine. What fly could possibly be in this ointment?
Well, it's this: fame is among the worst, if not the worst of lifes spiritual stumbling blocks, and the famous face an almost insurmountable barrier between themselves and God. Consider that these people literally have it all. They have every reason to love this life, to revel in it, and to pay little heed to the next. To put it in other terms, they have an great, huge, ton to lose (again, from an Earthly perspective) were they to embrace Christ. Think of it - they have to understand unlikelihood of anyone possessing not only the combination good looks and talent which brought them to fame, but the luck. Against all odds these fortunate few find themselves at the pinnacle of humanity. They are holders of the golden ticket providing them with riches and adoration, while the mass of their fellows toil in relative obscurity with average looks and modest paychecks. They have the leisure and means to jet off to exotic locales for extended stays and look fabulous doing it.
It's not difficult to understand why they would be less than receptive to Christ's entreaty to abandon it all and follow him. For we of modest means to abandon our lot is quite a different thing than it is for them to do the same.
In fact, that's why I think we see such a near total rejection of Christianity in among the famous. And even when they do answer what I believe to be their ingrained push to seek God, they nearly always fall for some modern, "boutique" religion like Kaballa or Scientology which will allow them to sport the outer veil of spirituality while leaving them to enjoy their wealth and renown. And those are the few that admit to any supernaturalilty at all. Otherwise sex or politics or drugs or environmentalism or whatever will serve as inadequate stand-ins for the God they've rejected. A sad attempt to fill the void their Godlessness has created with man's foolishness.
But their challenge has another aspect that may well be worse. The egos of most people are kept in check by reality. There are those with personality difficulties, of course, but for our Average Joe mere life serves as a constant reminder that life doesn't revolve around him. But not so for the celebrity. They, in most cases I would guess, are surrounded by constant adoration. Heads turn in any room they enter, waiters fall over themselves to please these VIP guests, crowds scream out their love, young women (or men) are theirs at the nod of the head, any demand will be met by those desperate to bask in a little of the reflected glow of their fame.
But the destructive effect of all this on a person can scarcely be calculated. The human spirit just needs to hear "no" more often than not. I hold that there can be no true happiness in the absence of humility. I held the same position prior to becoming a Christian, but now I recognize that this is because God will not accept a prideful heart.
Singer Stephen Stills was known as a pretty nasty guy at the height of his fame as a member of Buffalo Springfield and, later, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in the 1960s. Speaking of this later in life he said, "I was twenty two, and everybody I met told me how great I was. Under those circumstances it's not a matter of whether or not you'll lose your poise, but when."
So, living, as they are, in a world determined to exalt them as gods and in so doing shields them from any possibility of humility, how difficult is it be for these people to ever experience the sort of true brokenness necessary to prepare the heart to receive the holy spirit - to open themselves to the one true Savior and accept the free gift of salvation?
I say these people need our prayers and compassion.
Well, it's this: fame is among the worst, if not the worst of lifes spiritual stumbling blocks, and the famous face an almost insurmountable barrier between themselves and God. Consider that these people literally have it all. They have every reason to love this life, to revel in it, and to pay little heed to the next. To put it in other terms, they have an great, huge, ton to lose (again, from an Earthly perspective) were they to embrace Christ. Think of it - they have to understand unlikelihood of anyone possessing not only the combination good looks and talent which brought them to fame, but the luck. Against all odds these fortunate few find themselves at the pinnacle of humanity. They are holders of the golden ticket providing them with riches and adoration, while the mass of their fellows toil in relative obscurity with average looks and modest paychecks. They have the leisure and means to jet off to exotic locales for extended stays and look fabulous doing it.
It's not difficult to understand why they would be less than receptive to Christ's entreaty to abandon it all and follow him. For we of modest means to abandon our lot is quite a different thing than it is for them to do the same.
In fact, that's why I think we see such a near total rejection of Christianity in among the famous. And even when they do answer what I believe to be their ingrained push to seek God, they nearly always fall for some modern, "boutique" religion like Kaballa or Scientology which will allow them to sport the outer veil of spirituality while leaving them to enjoy their wealth and renown. And those are the few that admit to any supernaturalilty at all. Otherwise sex or politics or drugs or environmentalism or whatever will serve as inadequate stand-ins for the God they've rejected. A sad attempt to fill the void their Godlessness has created with man's foolishness.
But their challenge has another aspect that may well be worse. The egos of most people are kept in check by reality. There are those with personality difficulties, of course, but for our Average Joe mere life serves as a constant reminder that life doesn't revolve around him. But not so for the celebrity. They, in most cases I would guess, are surrounded by constant adoration. Heads turn in any room they enter, waiters fall over themselves to please these VIP guests, crowds scream out their love, young women (or men) are theirs at the nod of the head, any demand will be met by those desperate to bask in a little of the reflected glow of their fame.
But the destructive effect of all this on a person can scarcely be calculated. The human spirit just needs to hear "no" more often than not. I hold that there can be no true happiness in the absence of humility. I held the same position prior to becoming a Christian, but now I recognize that this is because God will not accept a prideful heart.
Singer Stephen Stills was known as a pretty nasty guy at the height of his fame as a member of Buffalo Springfield and, later, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in the 1960s. Speaking of this later in life he said, "I was twenty two, and everybody I met told me how great I was. Under those circumstances it's not a matter of whether or not you'll lose your poise, but when."
So, living, as they are, in a world determined to exalt them as gods and in so doing shields them from any possibility of humility, how difficult is it be for these people to ever experience the sort of true brokenness necessary to prepare the heart to receive the holy spirit - to open themselves to the one true Savior and accept the free gift of salvation?
I say these people need our prayers and compassion.
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